DIRECTOR of Rugby Dean Ryan has made five changes to his Worcester Warriors side for this tomorrow’s Midlands derby with Wasps at Sixways (3pm).

Tom Biggs, Ryan Mills, Nick Schonert, Jaba Bregvadze and Phil Dowson are all restored to the starting line-up as Warriors chase a fourth straight home win in the Aviva Premiership.

Wynand Olivier misses the game after injuring his hamstring against Exeter Chiefs.

The backline sees a reshuffle as Bryce Heem moves to outside centre with Biggs replacing the Kiwi on the right flank, joining Chris Pennell and Cooper Vuna in the back three.

Mills will link-up with Heem in the centre while Tom Heathcote and Francois Hougaard maintain their half-back partnership.

In the pack, tighthead Schonert and Georgian international Bregvadze start next to Val Rapava Ruskin, while Donncha O’Callaghan and Darren Barry continue to fill the second row.

Dowson also returns to the side in the back row, joining Carl Kirwan and skipper GJ van Velze, while Tevita Cavubati is named on the bench after returning from a ban.

Ryan said: “Wasps are a massively physical side but we’re not daunted by these last three games.

“These are the challenges we set the Club to take on and every one of the sides we have left to face have something to play for so there are no freebies for us.

“There’s only been two or three times when we’ve fallen short in competition this season and we don’t want that to increase just because it’s the end of the year.

“We want to continue to see how close we can get to the best sides in this country.”

Christian Wade is set to make his 100th appearance for Wasps.

Rob Miller, Thomas Young and Bradley Davies are all named in the starting line-up.

Miller returns at full-back, with Charles Piutau moving to 13 and Elliot Daly shuffling across to 12, as Siale Piutau gets a rest having played in every game since his arrival at the club in February.

Italian international Lorenzo Cittadini starts in the front row with Jake Cooper-Woolley moving to the bench.

Davies and Joe Launchbury form the second row partnership, following Kearnan Myall’s knee injury against Exeter Chiefs.

Thomas Young earns a start at seveb after impressing off the bench last weekend, with George Smith given the weekend off having only missed two games all season.

On the bench, Will Rowlands, Sam Jones and Brendan Macken are all named among the replacements, ready for their chance to impress again.

Wasps director of rugby Dai Young said: “After the emotional high of Saturday’s last-minute victory in Europe, the players have responded well in training this week and have quickly focused their attentions on what will be a very difficult trip to Sixways

“After a tough start to the season, Worcester have really shown their quality in recent weeks, with wins over London Irish, Harlequins, Newcastle Falcons, Gloucester and Sale Sharks, so we know the challenge that will face us at Sixways.

For us, it’s an opportunity to cement our place in the top four and to continue to push for a strong finish in the Premiership.”

Warriors

15 Chris Pennell

14 Tom Biggs

13 Bryce Heem

12 Ryan Mills

11 Cooper Vuna

10 Tom Heathcote

9 Francois Hougaard

1 Val Rapava Ruskin

2 Jaba Bregvadze

3 Nick Schonert

4 Donncha O’Callaghan

5 Darren Barry

6 Phil Dowson

7 Carl Kirwan

8 GJ van Velze (C)

Replacement

16 Niall Annett

17 Na’ama Leleimalefaga

18 James Johnston

19 Tevita Cavubati

20 Sam Betty

21 Luke Baldwin

22 Ryan Lamb

23 Andy Symons

Wasps

15. Rob Miller
14. Christian Wade
13. Charles Piutau
12. Elliot Daly
11. Frank Halai
10. Jimmy Gopperth
9. Dan Robson
1. Matt Mullan
2. Carlo Festuccia
3. Lorenzo Cittadini
4. Joe Launchbury
5. Bradley Davies
6. James Haskell (c)
7. Thomas Young
8. Nathan Hughes

Replacements:

16. Ashley Johnson
17. Simon McIntyre
18. Jake Cooper-Woolley
19. Will Rowlands
20. Sam Jones
21. Joe Simpson
22. Ruaridh Jackson
23. Brendan Macken